Ending Impunity on Sexual and Gender Based Violence: A Pan African Conference

In 2006, ACORD prioritized sexual and gender based violence in conflict and post conflict societies as a focus of its gender thematic work within the Pan African context. Our goal with this prioritization is to facilitate the development of a culture of effective and efficient gender justice in the states in Africa that have emerged from or are in conflict. This conference is a continuation of this focus in alliance with The Kenyan Human Rights Commission, Action Aid International-Africa, Coalition on Violence against Women, The Great Lakes Parliamentary Forum - Amani Forum, African Women's Development Fund, International Planned Parenthood Federation and Urgent Action Fund - Africa.

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During conflict, women and girls experience violence at the hands of different groups: armed groups, government officials, aid workers, civilian authorities and their own families. They are physically and economically forced into prostitution in exchange for food, shelter, safe passage. Their bodies are commodified in transactions to acquire necessities of life or at worst they become battle ground over which opposing forces struggle through rape to humiliate the men they are related to.

Violations of women's rights escalate the rate of HIV infections throughout the continent. Women and girls become more vulnerable to violence and HIV/AIDS - at a time where health services and means of preventing infection often become scarce or unavailable. Long term effects of conflict create a culture of violence that renders women and girls vulnerable when institutions of governance are weakened and social fragmentation is pronounced.As state security and legal infrastructure is rebuilt, African women experience the rule of aggression rather than the rule of law.

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